ALT STAY Playing the long game

ALT STAY Playing the long game in short-stay property

Involved in a wide range of real estate projects, including development, sales, leasing, hotels and self-storage, Housing Japan expanded in many areas before entering the short-term rental marketplace. It’s now launching Alt Stay, a portfolio of apartments that aims to cater for young professionals using Tokyo as a temporary base. The initiative may be new, but it’s been long in development.

“When Airbnb started here”, says Housing Japan Co-founder Joe Rigby, “there was a lot of interest at Housing Japan, but the reality was that its business model at launch was never legal. If you’re running a business, you have to obey the rules and regulations. So, we said, ‘well, what can we do that looks like Airbnb, but that’s legal?’ That’s how we evolved our product to where it is now.

“As well as managing properties for customers who may be operating short-term lets, we’ve been developing a portfolio of our own, which we are letting on a daily basis with a hotel licence, and on a longer stay basis within a minpakustyle legal framework.” Kanemitsu Takahashi, who specialises in the short-stay part of Housing Japan’s business, says the Alt Stay portfolio differs from the firm’s management of properties for individual owners.

“Needs for short-term rental apartments from both corporate and individuals have become quite high compared to several years ago. Corporate expats used to rent serviced apartments or long-term rental apartments, but there are now more young expats coming to Tokyo for short-term project work who don’t need either luxury serviced apartments or long-term apartments.

“What we are providing for these customers is the right-size, quality apartment for a reasonable price. Because of the options for remote working in various fields, we have a very mixed customer base of traders, consultants, YouTubers, designers and creative directors. We’ve even had online gaming customers rent our apartments, working while exploring a foreign country.”

Housing Japan’s latest offering is akin to a serviced apartment

(SA) without the service, according to Takahashi.

“We do not provide on-site services like front desk or room service, so our operation cost is lower than that of SAs and we can offer a quality furnished apartment for a lower rate than a traditional serviced apartment. Also, we try to focus on apartments of 20–50 square metres. It’s larger than a standard hotel room in Tokyo and smaller than most serviced apartments.”

Alt Stay properties are mostly in the central part of Tokyo, namely Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Chuo and Chiyoda wards.

“These areas are well-populated by foreign companies, embassies and a wealth of cultural attractions. As well as being very popular for business customers, these parts of town also attract a lot of interest amongst individual, long-stay tourists,” explains Takahashi.

Different types of customer might spend very different lengths of time in their leased apartment, so design of space is important to Alt Stay’s success.

“We’ve been working with one specific partner, Umyco Design, on the interior decoration and furnishings of our properties,” says Takahashi. “We want to create spaces that are going to work for the customer, irrespective of whether they’re out all day on a project or working in the space for hours on end. Design and comfort are a crucial part of the mix when it comes to creating a nice experience for our guests.”

So far, the approach seems to be working, as Alt Stay continues to grow in popularity, according to Rigby.

“We currently manage about 160 rooms, and we’re looking at adding 70 rooms over the course of the next year. We are aiming to hit 500 rooms in three years and 1,000 rooms in five years.”

“As far as the Olympics is concerned,” says Rigby, “we had been receiving inquiries related to Tokyo 2020 from foreign media groups consistently for a couple of years. But, with the postponement of the Games and the situation with Covid-19, everything has changed.

“Right now, we’re keeping a close eye on the travel advice and information from the relevant Japanese government ministries, as well as our industry partners. Business travel, like everything, has been seriously affected by the pandemic and will take some time to normalise. We’re ready and there for customers when they return.”

Find out more about Alt Stay here:

www.alt-stay.com

The American School in Japan

The American School in Japan (ASIJ) is an independent, co-educational school serving students of all nationalities. Founded in 1902, ASIJ offers an American-style college preparatory education for the children of international families, including those on temporary assignment, as well those who make Tokyo their permanent home. The school offers a standards-based curriculum culminating in an American high school diploma, which develops the necessary skills for students to be successful in their future academic endeavors. Complementing its academic program, ASIJ encourages students to engage in a wide variety of co-curricular experiences, which we believe contribute to the development of the whole child.

Grades: Nursery–12 K-12 Campus: 1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi 0422-34-5300 enroll@asij.ac.jp Early Learning Center (N–K): 6-16-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku 03-5771-4344 elc@asij.ac.jp www.asij.ac.jp

Chiyoda International School Tokyo

Under the guidance of Musashino University, Chiyoda International School Tokyo (CHIST) opened its elementary school in April 2018. The middle and high school opened in April 2019 and CHIST became an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme school in 2020. CHIST is also a Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme candidate school. The advantage of being a new school means we offer a fresh, energetic approach to education, which makes us the first choice for parents. CHIST educates and empowers its students from Grade 1 to Grade 12.

Grades: 1–12 11 Yonban-cho, Chiyoda-ku 03-5530-7402 www.chist.jp

The British School in Tokyo

Situated in the heart of Tokyo, The British School in Tokyo (BST) is an independent, co-educational, international school offering the English National Curriculum for over 1,000 students aged between 3 and 18. We are a two-site campus based in Shibuya and Setagaya-ku with currently over 65 different nationalities. Our purpose is to provide an outstanding British education, in English, to the international community of Tokyo and therefore our experienced teachers are largely recruited from the UK. Despite the fact we are a non-selective school we have enjoyed outstanding results in GCSEs, IGCSEs, and A Levels, taking students to top schools and universities in the UK and internationally.

Years: Nursery–Year 13 Shibuya Campus: 1-21-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku 03-5467-4321 Showa Campus: 1-7-57 Taishido, Showa Women’s University 5th Bldg., Setagaya-ku 03-3411-4211 www.bst.ac.jp

At Gymboree International School, we provide children with a safe learning environment where they can explore their interests and gain the communication and social skills they need to succeed in the future. Our unique curriculum is based on over 40 years of experience as the world leader in early childhood development programs around the world. We offer Mommy & Me classes (0–5 yrs.), a three-hour Preschool Prep (1.5–2.5 yrs.), five-hour Preschool (2–5 yrs.), and three-hour After School and Saturday School (3–9 yrs.) programs at all our locations.

Grades: Preschool, Kindergarten, Early Elementary Motoazabu School: Motoazabu Crest Building 1F, 2-3-30 Motoazabu, Minato-ku 03-5449-2311 Jiyugaoka School: Chestnut Hills 2F, 3-25-11 Yakumo, Meguro-ku 03-3723-0651 Asagaya School: 2-40-1 Asagaya-minami, Suginami-ku 03-5356-9008 Bashamichi School: Kitanaka Brick & White 2F, 5-57-2 Kitanakadori, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 045-225-8810 gymbointernationalschool.jp, www.gymboglobal.jp

Aoba-Japan International School

Aoba-Japan International School (Aoba) is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School that offers the IB curriculum, including the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme, and the Diploma Programme. It also offers an innovative Global Leadership Diploma program that allows students to develop their own custom-made course of study in collaboration with an advisor. Kindergarten is taught at both the Meguro and Hikarigaoka campuses, while elementary through high school classes are taught at the Hikarigaoka campus. Aoba’s dedicated and innovative faculty is committed to creating a progressive, interactive, and student-centered educational environment, one where all types of learners can achieve their very best.

Grades: K–12 Hikarigaoka Campus: 7-5-1 Hikarigaoka, Nerima-ku 03-4578-8832 Meguro Campus: 2-11-5 Aobadai, Meguro-ku 03-5428-4488 www.aobajapan.jp

Saint Maur International School

Established in 1872, as innovators of international education in Japan, Saint Maur International School continues to meet the needs of children (co-educational, 2.5 years to Grade 12) from the multi-cultural, multi-faith international community. The school is dedicated not only to cater to the learning and developmental needs of its students across grade levels, but to also be a support and a driving force for its extended community of neighbors, families, and alumni. The Saint Maur Essential Outcomes represent the dispositions we hope to instill in each of our students. Members of the school community will seek to live as moral citizens, unique individuals, global citizens, and balanced and life-long learners.

Grades: Nursery–12 83 Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 045-641-5751 www.stmaur.ac.jp